Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-10-14
THE FIRST GLASS.
Startling Statistics Showing How Womcl
Were Led Into Drunkenness.

Were Led INTO Drunkenness.
l.. NJ. Hall, Superintendent of the Wom-
ans Reformatory Prison, Sherborn. Mass,
says:
Out of the examination of 204 inebrate
women | have found that 12S began their
drinking by the use OF beer, 81 by drinking
whisky. as punch at first usually, 20 began
with wine, 5 with gin, and II could not re-
member what beverage was first used.
These young girls, mill and shop girls
largely, began by going to some so-callcd
refreshment saloon with their friends. and
the debutante usually began by slipping
little tonic made of hops, sugar and water.
charged with carbonic acid gas and colored
with burnt sugar.. Beer soon followed, and
soon rioting, other kinds of intoxicants.
recklessness and crime; and what was an
innocent, foolish girl yesterday, is to-day
branded criminal-all for glass of beer.
Alas. how many ruined lives I have seem
Beer was also the beverage which older in
ebriate women used to entice the younger
ones to drink. A call upon one of these
old sots was the signal for the pitcher Of
beer to be sent for, and little coaxing
and urging would result in the first fatal
glass being INDUCED in. The steps were
then easy.
Beer is the trap which the irunkard-
maker sets for the feet Of the ,lnwary. And
he usually makes sure Of his prey because
OF it. A glass Of raw whisky would have
presented but Slight attraction to the over
worked, half-f girls. had it been offered
them at first. After that sleeping devil,
the appetite for intoxicants, has been
aroused by beer, it became altogether a
different matter, and at last. in many cases,
chlorofoTm or peppermint oil was added to
the drink of these maddened creatures, so
f,,r 4 hoo
thing stronger.
1t may be Of interest to note that out of
the 204 inebriate women, 1876 had been
guilty Of other crimes, and yet in but six
teen instances did the first commitment Of
a crime antedate the habit of drinking.
OF the beverages first used, while in but
81 cases it began with whisky, in 1s7 it
had become the favGrite beverage. Several
hopeless drunkards, far gone toward in
sanity. had never drank any other intoxi-
cant than beer.
One hundred and thirty-two were COM
mitted to prison for drunkenness, 56 for
ot1enses against chastity and public order,
and IL for crimes against property. Their
ages when last committed averaged BOZ
years. Sixty-tive were between 80 and 4
years of age, 40 between % and 81 years
OF age, 81 between 20 and 26 years Of age,
30 between 10 and u years of age The
remainder were over II years Of age
Many of the older ones could not tell
how many sentences they have received,
showing the absolute uselessness of pun
fishing these poor creatures while the
temptations are left in their way
10 show the effect upon the children of
lnebrl;te parentage, collected the fol-
lowing: OF III inebriate mothers, 80 of
whom had insbriate husbands, Aus chill
dren were bora. OF these 227 persisted in
infancy and early childhood, and of the
survivors many are doomed evidently TO an
early death. III many cases the death of
these children was indirectly due to the
| lnebrlety of the parents, as cold, depriva-
ton, etc. Ages: Twenty seven of the 2O4
women began to drink intoxicants before
! they We're 10 years of age; IL between the
ages of 9 and 10; "a between Il and II:
81 between 20 and 2G; 80 between 25 and
ii; IL between 30 and Al; 3 between 40
| and 81.
Average age, is! Years More than one
half had formed habits of intcmperance
before they We're u years of age, and more
than one-third at the giddy age Of from Is
to 20 inclusive: 1872 be gan to drink socially
and with female friends